Forbes' Top Earning Authors of 2013: Fifty Shades' Author Debuts at No 1 with £60m [SLIDESHOW]

Earnings between June 2012 and June 2013: million (£60 million) Age: 50 Bestsellers: Fifty Shades of Grey In photo: E L James poses for photographers during a book signing in London September 6, 2012.REUTERS/Neil Hall

Earnings between June 2012 and June 2013: million (£60 million) Age: 50 Bestsellers: Fifty Shades of Grey In photo: E L James poses for photographers during a book signing in London September 6, 2012.REUTERS/Neil HallEarnings between June 2012 and June 2013: million (£58 million) Age: 66 Bestsellers: Maximum Ride and Witch & Wizard In photo: James Patterson poses to promote the new movie "Alex Cross" based on his novel "Cross" at the Four Seasons in Los Angeles, California, October 6, 2012.REUTERSEarnings between June 2012 and June 2013: million (£35 million) Age: 51 Bestsellers: The Underland Chronicles and The Hunger Games trilogyWikimedia CommonsEarnings between June 2012 and June 2013: million (£18 million) Age: 63 Bestsellers: Killing Lincoln, Killing Kennedy (and his forthcoming novel Killing Jesus could be the biggest of the series)Wikimedia CommonsEarnings between June 2012 and June 2013: million (£16.6 million) Age: 66 Bestsellers: 128 books (sold more than 600 million copies)Danielle Steel/FacebookEarnings between June 2012 and June 2013: million (£15.3 million) Age: 42 Bestsellers: Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, The Third WheelWikimedia CommonsEarnings between June 2012 and June 2013: million (£15.3 million) Age: 70 Bestsellers: Stephanie Plum series In photo: Janet Evanovich, author of the book series that inspired the new film One For The Money, arrives at the film's New York premier at AMC Loews Lincoln Square on West 68th Street in New York January 24, 2012.REUTERS/Andrew BurtonEarnings between June 2012 and June 2013: million (£14.7 million) Age: 62 Bestsellers: In Death serieshttp://www.noraroberts.com/Earnings between June 2012 and June 2013: million (£14 million) Age: 49 Bestsellers: The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol In photo: Author Dan Brown arrives at the world premiere of the movie "Angels & Demons" in Rome May 4, 2009.REUTERS/Alessia PierdomenicoEarnings between June 2012 and June 2013: million (£12.7 million) Age: 65 Bestsellers: Under the Dome, The Shining In photo: Stephen King holds up a pink Amazon Kindle 2 electronic reader at a news conference in New York, February 9, 2009.REUTERSEarnings between June 2012 and June 2013: million (£12.7 million) Age: 68 Bestsellers: Demon Seed, Watchers, Hideaway, IntensityDean Koontz/FacebookEarnings between June 2012 and June 2013: million (£11.5 million) Age: 58 Bestsellers: The Racketeer In photo: Democratic presidential candidate Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) attends a "Holidays with Hillary" reception emceed by author John Grisham (R) at Union Station in Washington, December 6, 2007.REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

EL James, the best-selling author of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, has debuted at No 1 on the list of Forbes' highest paid authors of 2013. The London-born writer earned £60m ($95m) between June 2012 and June 2013.

The 50-year-old writer, born Erika Mitchell, is known for the series - Fifty Shades of Grey (2011), Fifty Shades Darker (2012) and Fifty Shades Freed (2012). According to Forbes, more than 70 million copies sold during the first eight months in the US. Forbes notes: "The e-book format was a key factor, giving readers an easy way to purchase the sex-filled sequels -- and a discreet way to read them in public."

James has only written only three books (the Fifty Shades trilogy) so far but is reportedly penning her next novel. A film based on the Fifty Shades of Grey story is expected to be released in August next year.

James is followed by American thriller author James Patterson with earnings of £58m ($91m). Patterson is best known for his Alex Cross series.

Other prominent female authors on Forbes' list include Danielle Steel, Suzanne Collins, Janet Evanovich and Nora Roberts. Among the men, Dan Brown, Patterson and Stephen King are in the top ten.

Forbes determines the top earning authors on the basis of its estimates on sales data, published figures and information from industry sources between June 2012 and June 2013. Click on Start to know the top ten highest-paid authors of 2013.